For socialism is not merely the labour question, it is before all things the atheistic question, the question of the form taken by atheism to-day, the question of the tower of Babel built without God, not to mount to heaven from earth but to set up heaven on earth.
Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov has been keeping me company for the past few nights since I have been having a hard time sleeping (again). I am almost done with the first part when the above quote caught my attention. It is interesting how the writer describes socialism and atheism as actions setting up heaven here on earth. The question is, is this true?
Well realizing atheism as an act to set up heaven on earth is quite easy. Christianity has set a very high bar for people who wanted to go to heaven. In fact, the number of tickets to heaven is just 144 thousand! And the only way to get a ticket to heaven is to spend a life repenting unnecessarily plus a couple more acts which includes self-inflicted psychological damage. I have realized that I couldn’t quite live in such situation and I have learned that this finite life is best spent by living it to the fullest. That is heaven. For Christians, heaven is immortality; for atheists, heaven is living the life.
As for Socialism, I don’t know. Margaret Thatcher has some insights against it, but I don’t really quite understand. I guess I have to watch this documentary:
PS. Quite a thick novel.
Related articles
- The implications of an atheistic worldview (deadcitizensrightssociety.wordpress.com)
- What is Atheism? (karltongeorge.wordpress.com)
- Should Atheists Be Transhumanists? (dish.andrewsullivan.com)
Demented Musings 